Eventually I became quite taken with this show. I watched the first 6 episodes consecutively because I was feeling pretty sick and had nothing else to do that was interesting. It must be a very controversial show for many people due to what happens in the story. This episode gives us a preview of what is to come but it really wasn't what kept me watching. It was only due to the reviews that I watched more episodes. Looking back at this episode I see that it was actually pretty good. Don't give up if you dislike this first one though.

Monk is in theory a brilliant show. The characters are quirky and fun and the mysteries are complex and well thought out. Sadly things have slowly been declining. The mysteries have begun to get very predictable and vets of the Monk TV show may even start to notice that the "how it happens" in the newer episodes sometimes are almost repeats of older episodes. They also stopped the search for Trudy's murderer which was frustrating and pointless considering there was no reason for doing so. Monk could improve if they put more effort into making really original mysteries like they used to...

The shows subject matter is daring and handled in a very serious and mature manner. Subjects like underage sex, abortion, drugs, and cancer are all featured in the 3 seasons that have so far been aired. It is also a very political show that has no problems giving the middle finger to the war in Irag, crooked politicians, religious fanaticism, and fake people. The characters are all for the most part excellently written and acted. Nealon is pure comic genius in his best performance since the SNL days. The fact that the show can do roll on the ground funny and serious is astounding. In a time when reality TV is very popular and there is little on other than reruns of good OLD shows this is a breath of fresh air.